Cold sterilizer

Abstract

A cold sterilizer, for deterging/decontaminating, sterilizing, drying and storing until the time of use medical devices, optionally the thermo-labile ones, in particular flexible and rigid endoscopes for surgical and diagnostic use, suitable for operating with sterilizing agents effective in the range 20-35° C., including the following parts in combination, a chamber, containing the tanks for deterging and sterilizing chemical agents, with closure means thereof; a room—which is or contains the container for flexible devices—equipped with optionally see-through closure means; a plurality of compartments substantially parallel thereamong and arranged substantially parallel to the side walls and to the support base, equipped with individual or common closure means and containing the casings in which the rigid devices are stored; means for the circulation of the above chemical agents among the tanks, the container, the casings and the medical devices contained therein; means for the automatic collection of the deterging and sterilizing chemical agents; means for assuring the circulation under pressure of said agents; means for detecting and controlling in real time the pressures exerted on the channels of the fluxed medical devices; means for allowing the purging of the channels of said medical devices; hydraulic and electrical connections; optionally, means for recording and printing the reprocessing data; optionally, means for facilitating the access to the mechanics thereof. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the cold sterilizer according to the invention.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A cold sterilizer for medical devices suitable for operating with sterilizing agents effective in the range 20-35° C., comprising:
 a chamber, containing tanks housing deterging/decontaminating and sterilizing chemical agents, the chamber having a closure; 
 a room including a container housing a flexible medical device, the container being sealable and including connections for the sterilizing chemical agents, the room having a closure; 
 a plurality of compartments substantially parallel thereamong and arranged substantially parallel to side walls and to a support base of the room, the compartments being equipped with a closure and containing casings in which rigid medical devices are stored, the casing being sealable and including connections for the sterilizing chemical agents; 
 a collecting area that collects the deterging and sterilizing chemical agents; 
 hydraulic connections effecting circulation and purging of the sterilizing chemical agents under pressure, among the tanks, the container, the medical devices and channels thereof; 
 a printing unit for recording and printing the reprocessing data; and 
 a display unit that detects and controls in real time the pressures exerted on the channels of the medical devices, 
 wherein the cold sterilizer is sized and configured to be portable. 
 
     
     
       2. The sterilizer according to  claim 1 , wherein the closure of the chamber containing the tanks comprises a lid. 
     
     
       3. The cold sterilizer according to  claim 1 , wherein the container housing the flexible medical device is movable and soft, and wherein the container is made of a material selected from the group comprising substantially silicone-based material, food silicone and food linen silicone, and wherein the closure of the room containing the container comprises a see-through lid. 
     
     
       4. The cold sterilizer according to  claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of compartments has a substantially cylindrical shape. 
     
     
       5. The cold sterilizer according to  claim 1 , wherein each of the casings of the rigid medical devices has a substantially cylindrical or ovoid shape. 
     
     
       6. The cold sterilizer according to  claim 1 , wherein for each of the plurality of compartments there is provided reprocessing cycle start/stop mechanism. 
     
     
       7. The cold sterilizer according to  claim 6 , wherein the reprocessing cycle start/stop mechanism is keys. 
     
     
       8. The cold sterilizer according to  claim 1 , wherein the collecting area comprises a twin cap, one of which is a safety cap for collection, with a seal automatically pierceable during operation of the sterilizer. 
     
     
       9. The sterilizer according to  claim 8 , wherein the pierceable seal is of aluminium. 
     
     
       10. The cold sterilizer according to  claim 1 , wherein the hydraulic connections circulating the chemical agents assures a pressure ranging from 150 to 500 mbar. 
     
     
       11. The cold sterilizer according to  claim 1 , wherein the display unit comprises a backlit liquid crystal display. 
     
     
       12. The cold sterilizer according to  claim 1 , wherein the hydraulic connections allow the flow of a sterile air stream. 
     
     
       13. The cold sterilizer according to  claim 1 , wherein the tanks comprise a single tank with a plurality of separated compartments each containing a different chemical agent or a different component of a mixture to be used. 
     
     
       14. The cold sterilizer according to  claim 1 , comprising three tanks or three separated compartments of a single tank containing adazone, peracetic acid and proteazone respectively.